Medicaid Stories

Shana became a nurse midwife to help women get the care they need. Although many of her patients are eligible for Medicaid while they are pregnant, they do not qualify before or after pregnancy.

As a pediatrician in rural Oklahoma, Dr. Effiong sees firsthand the importance of Medicaid not just for children, but for their parents, too. 

Maria is a single mother and when she was diagnosed with breast cancer, her treatments made it impossible for her to continue to work full-time causing her to lose her employer-sponsored health insurance. Fortunately, she was approved for TennCare Medicaid to take her through the rest of her treatment.   

Jessica and her husband are the parents of three children. One of their daughters, Clare, has a rare genetic disorder that requires extensive, ongoing care. They hope she will be able to get covered through the state’s new Katie Beckett Medicaid waiver because her private health insurance isn’t enough to cover everything she needs. 

Rudolf and his wife are retired, but they are the primary caregivers for their two grandsons, who both have autism. Because the boys are covered by TennCare Medicaid, they are able to get the full range of services they need to thrive. 

Dr. Pais is the Director of the Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Clinic at East Tennessee Children’s Hospital. About half of his patients are covered by TennCare Medicaid and get the same high-quality care as his privately insured patients.

In 2013, Debbie had just moved back to Tennessee and was uninsured. She felt a lump in her breast and, because she was eligible for TennCare Medicaid through the Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program, she was able to get the lifesaving care she needed.

In 2017, Michael was uninsured and diagnosed with testicular cancer. Fortunately, he was eligible for TennCare Medicaid, and his health insurance covered him throughout his treatment.

Reverend Larry is a pastor who sees the importance of health care every day. He knows there are community members who are unable to get the care they need because they don’t have health insurance, and he believes society must do better to care for the most vulnerable among us.